The following is a rush transcript of a Press TV interview with Syed Wasif, a professor of international law in Washington, commenting on the latest post-revolution events going on in Egypt.
Press TV: The army has announced that it will be going through some amendments to the constitution. What kind of amendments are we talking about here?
Wasif: That is nothing new. These are not exactly amendments but a kind of perpetration of the old regimes to ensure the continuation of the old paradigms in foreign policy supporting Israel and the West; nothing new. That is why they are trying to make some fundamental changes in order to restrain the future elected governments from changing the foreign policy paradigms vis-a-vis Israel.
Press TV: We are seeing a lot of activity on the United States' side with regards to Egypt. Two US senators visited Egypt after the downfall of Hosni Mubarak. What do you make of this constant US intervention which was very clear even before Hosni Mubarak stepped down?
Wasif: This is an obvious attempt to hinder the movement which has taken the shape of an Islamic movement now. Before the exile of Hosni Mubarak -- or his departure -- the movement did not have a specific direction; a specific ideology. Now it seems to have changed its course and it has attained the status of an Islamic movement by the people's support. So I think that is the main reason that it is now a thorn in the eyes of the American government. So this is the main reason, especially when we see two senators, two influential senators from the United States visiting this crucial moment of transition there in Egypt. They are trying to influence the policies there; trying to buy some generals there and exert pressure on the general political environment in order to cut something out in favor of the United States, because they are now loosing grounds in Egypt.
Press TV: From the reports we are getting, Vice President of the United States, Joe Biden, spoke on the phone earlier with none other than Omar Suleiman, who was right-hand man of Hosni Mubarak, very distrusted by the people. The people continue to stay on the streets of Egypt that the interim government military is being controlled by Omar Suleiman. What do you make of this?
Wasif: I have been repeatedly saying this thing accruing in Egypt and Tunisia, basically, is a continuation of the old regime - that is old wine in a new bottle. Other than that, nothing new has come up. But the people's movement there, which has been going on unhindered on the streets of Cairo, Alexandria and other towns and cities there, is going to make it difficult for the military of Egypt and, for that matter, the military of Yemen and Tunisia and Bahrain to change the course of events there. That would be a great shift, of course, not only in Egypt but a 180-degree shift in the paradigms of foreign policy in the Middle East, and that would be totally against both the interests of the United States and Israel.
Press TV: During the uprising in Egypt before the ouster of Hosni Mubarak, there was a lot of media attention being given to Egypt in different contexts but now after the fall of Hosni Mubarak the media attention seems to have been diverted to Libya and other uprisings in the Middle East, which are equally important. But how does this media blackout, so to speak, as far as Egypt goes, is hindering the cause of the people?
Wasif: Simple; Egypt is the biggest country in that region and it is the biggest ally of the West openly supporting and having diplomatic relations with Israel. That is the main reason that the West was more focusing on Egypt. Now they thought since they fooled the people by installing a puppet, Omar Suleiman, which is exactly a continuation of the old Mubarak's regime, they had a media blackout and the matter of Egypt was done. We now have been seeing a new turn in the Egyptian movement. It has now taken turn in favor of the Islamists there; in favor of the revolutionaries there by virtue of its support from the clergy there, who have come out as an open support to the people's movement. So this movement now, which was until yesterday a kind of secular movement, has changed into an Islamic movement, and that, of course, is a thorn in the eyes of the West.
Press TV: When the protesters were protesting before the downfall of Hosni Mubarak, the army stepped in as a crusader for the people on the path to democracy, to speak. There was a lot of trust and acceptance as far as the army went. We saw people hugging them and singing for them. Do you think this protest will be less as far as the momentum goes because of that trust factor?
Wasif: It was a cordial gesture. It was a gesture of fraternity and brotherhood by the people. It was not exactly a trust in the armed forces itself, but a gesture to woo the army at that moment against the regime. But the people of Egypt are fully aware of the treacherous style of the army. That is not only the case with Egypt, but the entire Middle Eastern army. You can name Pakistan's army in that course as well. They have all the similar style and course of actions there, and they try to fool the people by favoring the Islamist or the pro-democratic movements there on one hand, and dealing with the West on the other. I think Egyptian people will never be fooled by those military generals there, who are trying to maintain a status quo in favor of the old regimes and the West as well. So I think now the people will not accept anything other than a true, transparent and free election, and a new constitution based on Egyptian Islamic culture and tradition.
Press TV: During this revolution, Hosni Mubarak used the Islamist ideology as sort of a boogeyman to scare people and the West, regarding this revolution, saying that if he falls, extremist Islam will prevail within Egypt. The United States had seen Mubarak as a strong ally in maintaining the lack of power, so to speak, of these Islamist groups. Is the army going to be doing the same as far as the Muslim Brotherhood goes and other Islamist organizations?
Wasif: It will try to do the same, but I think the game is now over. It is too late for the army to do that, because the people have comprehended the original policies, issues and problems, and now they cannot be fooled anymore. So I think there is an awakening in the people; in the entire Middle Eastern region, especially in Egypt, Bahrain and Yemen. So I think it is late now for the army to fool the people anymore. We are not talking about al-Qaeda now, because they have been rejected by the Muslims. We have seen other Islamist forces such as the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Al Wefaq in Bahrain being backed by the people. They have roots in the people. It is therefore going to be difficult for the military to deal with them.
End item/ 129